“I can see it in your eyes ...”He presses his lips together, eyeing me carefully with his blue eyes. “Something else is bugging you.”

I could tell him—spill out all the details that happened.

Tristan locks up the last of the doors and then we head through the entryway, which is lit up with flickering lights that struggle to stay powered on. The brick walls and low arch ceiling have worn away with time. The cobblestone floor has water rivering the cracks and the damp air clings to my clothes.

There are two Watchers standing nearby, keeping all of us in order. They wear masks over the faces, so no one knows for sure what they look like underneath. I picture them a lot like the vampires, which is probably not accurate, but seems fitting. I’ve seen many Watchers hurt and even kill members of The Colony. The only difference is they do it to keep order and structure to our society, not to feed or infect.

“I’ll tell you later, okay.” Another lie for Tristan. I pluck a piece of dirt from his cropped blonde hair. “I need to get this vial to Monarch.”

“Alright, Juniper, but I’m going to hold you to it.” He flashes me a smile, trying to lighten my mood.

It almost hurts, but I manage to force one back and hurry to the hospital wing.

Juniper isn’t my first name. Kayla is. I don’t have a last name. A few weeks after the outbreak, Monarch found me wandering the streets. I was four and too young—or too traumatized—to remember anything, including my name. Monarch took the courtesy of giving me the name Kayla and decided to add the middle name of Juniper, after his ex-wife, because he says I reminded him of her. I’m not sure if this is a compliment or not. And I don’t know why Tristan insists on calling me it or where he even learned if form. Regardless, I don’t like it. There’s something about it coming from his mouth that feels wrong. I don’t want to bring it up to him though, because I don’t want to cause problems.

Monarch’s standing in the doorway of the hospital wing when I arrive. He’s staring at his pocket watch as if it holds the cure to the vampire disease. He’s the doctor of The Colony and a true medical genius. He can cure the sick, heal the weak, and sometimes even revive the dead.